Multi-panel Sunshade Guide Rail Thickness Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional multi-panel sunshade devices for vehicles face challenges in reducing vehicle height while maintaining headroom, due to the thickness of guide rail pairs and potential interference during sliding movements, which affects the appearance and functionality.
Innovation Solution
A multi-panel sunshade device design using two pairs of guide rails (upper and lower) to support multiple sunshade panels, with a panel linkage mechanism involving pins and cam slots for smooth movement and storage, ensuring the rear slide shoes are stored correctly to prevent interference and facilitate easy operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If three guide rail pairs are used to support three individual panels, then each panel can be independently guided, but the total vehicle height increases and headroom decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the guidance function for multiple panels into a single guide rail pair. The guide rail pair simultaneously guides the front panel and the rear panel through integrated guide grooves, eliminating the need for separate guide rail pairs for each panel. This merging approach reduces the accumulated thickness of guide rails while maintaining reliable guidance for all panels.
Solution Approach 2:
The single guide rail pair performs multiple functions: it guides the front panel during sliding movement, guides the rear panel during stacking and sliding, and provides structural support for the entire sunshade assembly. This multi-functional design reduces the overall number of components and decreases vehicle height.
2Device complexity
If the rear slide shoe is stored in the front opening of the guide rail, then the guide rail structure is simplified, but interference during sliding movement occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rail is segmented into distinct functional zones: a front opening for receiving the front slide shoe and a rear opening for storing the rear slide shoe. This segmentation ensures that each slide shoe has its designated storage location, preventing interference between components during sliding movements while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide grooves act as intermediaries that control the movement paths of the slide shoes. The grooves guide the front slide shoe during sliding and direct the rear slide shoe to its storage position in the rear opening, preventing premature engagement or interference with the front opening while maintaining structural simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
In a multi-panel sunshade device for a vehicle comprising a drive panel and a plurality of follower panels slidably supported between the right and left guide rails to selectively open and close the roof opening, the right and left guide rails each comprises an upper guide rail and a lower guide rail, and right and left front slide shoes of each follower panel are supported by the right and left upper guide rails, respectively, while right and left rear slide shoes of each follower panel are supported by the right and left lower guide rails, respectively. Further, a pair of right and left front slide shoe storing rooms are connected to the right and left upper guide rails, respectively, and a pair of right and left rear slide shoe storing rooms are connected to the right and left lower guide rails, respectively.